7.28.2011

Well...today is proving to be one that revolves around the kitchen! Earlier this morning, I shared with you all about Kitchen Dial, my new favorite iPhone app that helps you calculate conversions with the turn of a dial. Now comes the latest recipe from The Thrifted Kitchen: raspberry rolls.

I pulled this one off a card from a thrifted recipe box, given to the previous box owner by a woman named Sheri. The dough is very simple, and a bit more on the dense side, but not very sweet. As such, I would make sure to sprinkle some sugar on the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

As for the filling, it calls for raspberry preserves, but, obviously, you can use whichever ones you prefer (peach or strawberry, perhaps?).

I made quite a few changes based on the first batch. I had followed the recipe to a T, but the rolls were a bit too small for me, and there were too many preserves, causing them to ooze out the sides and burn a bit in the oven.

So, for the second one, I rolled the dough a little thicker, and cut the circle into eight wedges instead of 12. I also put a little less of the preserves in there and made sure not to spread it all the way to edge, leaving about inch. I also didn't brush the tops with eggs, and after all this, they turned out much better!

An easy way to cut the 9-inch circle is to place a 9-inch round cake pan on top of the dough and trim the excess on the sides with a knife.

Okay...maybe I happen to know the person who designed this app. And maybe he's awesome. But all that aside, he's really created something amazing for those of us who love to cook but hate to convert measurements! It's called Kitchen Dial, and I have been playing with it all morning since he announced that, after months and months of hard work, it's finally finished and available...for FREE!

I love the design, which has a dial on the top, and one on the bottom, and you move them to certain numbers and types of measurements based on what you're trying to convert. I know I'm always running to my computer to try and figure out just how many tablespoons are in a cup, or cups in a liter, etc., and now all I have to do is whip out my trusty iPhone, which I'm usually using anyway to look up a recipe.

Now, why don't you make your life easier and download it too?! What have you got to lose? The answer is...nothing. You're only going to gain two cups of awesome (that's 32 tablespoons for those of you without the app!).

7.26.2011

If you scour design blogs like I do, no doubt you've seen the amazing wall displays happening with the beautiful woven baskets made by talented artisans from all over the world. I have some from Lodwar, Kenya, but not enough to make an impact on our 10-foot dining room walls. So I've been scouring sites for some welcome additions, and happened upon a great site called Indego Africa.

They have lots of amazing woven baskets, plus other home goods and accessories that are all fair trade and help women in Africa "acquire skills that enhance long-term earning potential."

According to the website, Indego Africa's business model is as follows:

> Partner with cooperatives of world-class artisans in Rwanda, made up entirely of women.

> Sell their masterful fair trade contemporary accessories and home decor products at high-end retailers across the U.S. and on Indego Africa’s online store.

> Pay the women a fair wage, including 50% in advance of production.

> Return 100% of the profits to Indego Africa's ground-breaking training program in financial management and entrepreneurship, literacy and computers.

> Harness local talent to teach the training programs with Generation Rwanda, an extraordinary NGO that provides university scholarships to Rwanda's top students.

To learn more about Indego Africa's efforts, visit their website, follow them on Twitter, and check out their Facebook page.

7.25.2011

No...I didn't thrift some awesome vintage juicer, or a skirt that I love & bought even though I'd have to squeeze my buns into it. I'm talking instead about the squeezing of time — thrift time — into my crazy schedule these days. By the end of the month, I will have gone out of town every weekend in July, and needless to say, this makes my weekdays packed with all the errands and housework I usually save for those two days of freedom, leaving me little time for thrifting!

I did manage to find some time on Thursday evening, and again yesterday after we got home from hanging out by the Black River. Here's the little load I brought home from those excursions...

A lovely little copper-colored pheasant...

I love the details on the feathers.

Some vintage Entienne Aigner loafers that are my new favorite summer shoes!

Some cute (but not vintage) ballet flats.

Two vintage trays...

With the perfect amount of wear.

Some vintage wooden hangers.

A vintage purse I picked up because I loved the way it gathers on the front.

A vintage handmade afghan for our living room. That dark teal is one of the colors in my newly chosen palette.

A mid-century clock that I'm going to paint white and hang in the living room.

7.22.2011

My first inclination is to apologize for the title, which is an awful attempt at combining two words. But in actuality, I'm not really that sorry...because it makes me laugh. And, well, you just go a sneak peak into the awkward weirdo that I am. :)

Moving on!

I just wanted to share with you a project that I've had all the components for, but just finally put them together yesterday! Back in California, I had planted two succulents from our wedding decorations into two vintage coffee cans, and they've been sitting upstairs — a sad, lonely little duo — on a sill in our bedroom since we moved here.

I've always wanted to create a little colony of succulents, so over the past several months I've been collecting more vintage coffee cans, and I finally amassed enough to make a statement!

In our guest room is a beautiful two-window wall that has a sill and lots of sunlight, so that's where this new family has found its home, now appropriately named Succu-Sillville. :)

7.21.2011

Good Lord...it's HOT! I'm doing all I can to not walk around the corner to the local gelateria every hour in an effort to stay cool. Instead, I'm locked in my house, the A/C is cranked to the max and I've been going through that stack of vintage magazines again (you know the ones).

At the bottom was the August 1959 issue of Family Circle, with a cover displaying a sweet treat that, to me, is the picture of summer perfection: big bright chunks of fruit with a mound of ice cream on top. Yum.

I immediately hit up the TOC (table of contents for you non-publishing folk) to see where I could find the recipe. It was nestled inside a booklet called Summer Sociables, and the recipe is called "Paradise Sundaes." Other than it's pretty complexion and tartness that tingles your taste buds, the best thing about it is there is no cooking required! All you need is a dish, a melon baller and your favorite spoon!

Paradise Sundaes
Yields 1 serving

1 cantaloupe
Raspberries
Strawberry ice cream
Whipped cream
1 Peach

Slice cantaloupe in half and scoop out seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop cantaloupe straight out of the rind and place balls in your preferred dessert dish. Put as many or as little as you want! Top with raspberries, a scoop (or two) of ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream and a slice (or two) of peach.